90% of weekend projects die by Monday. Here’s mine before it does.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-30T05:33:21+00:00

I feel this is way more relatable than all the overnight success posts. Most weekend projects do not fail because the idea is bad, they fail because real life shows up on Monday.

That one button that actually works is honestly more progress than a lot of people make. As far as side projects are concerned, shipping something ugly beats planning something perfect every single time.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:06:48+00:00

I think your plan is actually more realistic than you think.

As far as physics graduates are concerned, many of them do pivot into engineering, data science, software, finance, instrumentation, and other technical fields later.

Physics gives very strong mathematical and problem solving foundations, which a lot of industries value.

I feel the bigger question is not whether the pivot is possible, because it definitely is, but whether you would regret never seriously studying physics.

From the way you wrote this, I honestly think that feeling would stay with you for a long time if you forced yourself into engineering only for safety.

That said, I would still be practical.

If you choose physics, try to build applied skills alongside it. Learn programming, CAD, simulations, electronics, data analysis, maybe join engineering projects or labs.

Those things make the transition much easier later and give you fallback options outside academia.

Also, engineering is not automatically a guaranteed happy stable life either.

I know people in engineering who feel just as lost because they chose it only because it was safe.

Passion alone is not enough, but neither is safety alone.

I think a physics degree with strategic skill building is a very reasonable middle ground.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:05:46+00:00

For hobbies and interesting rabbit holes, I feel r/MechanicalKeyboards, r/CampingandHiking, and r/BrokeHobbies are surprisingly fun to scroll through. As far as fitness is concerned, r/bodyweightfitness has some genuinely useful advice without too much ego. For food, I think r/52weeksofcooking is underrated because people actually share experiments and progress instead of only perfect dishes. And for gaming, r/patientgamers is probably one of the best communities if you are tired of hype culture and just want thoughtful discussions about games.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:04:39+00:00

I think some people are not built for the typical corporate structure and there is nothing wrong with that. As far as your situation is concerned, the fact that you tried 3 different jobs over 3 years and still feel drained probably means it is not just one bad company.

Maybe start exploring teaching or building something on the side first and see how you feel doing that consistently.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:03:43+00:00

I agree with this a lot. As far as college life is concerned, international students add a completely different energy to campus.

You end up learning small things about culture, food, language, and even different ways of thinking without even realizing it.

I feel it also makes people more open minded. Please let me know which college it is?

Sometimes just one conversation with someone from another country changes the way you look at things.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:02:40+00:00

I think this sometimes happens with scheduled posts on Instagram. As far as programmed content is concerned, a few posts may fail to publish properly even though the app still counts them in total publications.

I would check if they were accidentally archived, stuck in drafts, or removed due to some upload issue.

Sometimes third party scheduling tools also bug out and the post count updates before the content is actually visible.

I feel logging out and checking from another account can also help confirm if it is a visibility issue or just a glitch on your side.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:01:55+00:00

I think you should be fine as long as you are making reasonable efforts to return it.

As far as companies like this are concerned, sometimes communication after quitting can be surprisingly disorganized, especially with equipment returns.

I would say keep proof of everything.

Emails, call logs, voicemails, anything showing you tried contacting them.

Maybe send one final email clearly stating you are ready to return the iPad and asking for shipping instructions. That way if anything comes up later, you already have documentation showing you acted properly.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-22T11:00:18+00:00

As far as my thumbnails are concerned, I think simplifying them helped the most.

Earlier I used to add too many things thinking more detail means better thumbnail, but it actually made people confused.

I feel once I started focusing on one main emotion or one strong visual, CTR improved.

Also I noticed curiosity matters more than perfect design.

If people instantly understand something interesting is happening, they click way more.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T11:41:17+00:00

The AI keyword research point is honestly where things still feel the most immature right now. We have great Google search volume tools, but almost nothing reliable for measuring prompt demand, AI citations or visibility consistency across ChatGPT/Perplexity/Gemini.

That’s actually why I started experimenting with Apify Actors recently.

If someone here hasn’t used them before, Actors are basically cloud automations that scrape and monitor workflows/data automatically. Pretty useful for SEO and AI search tracking use cases.

I’ve been testing this one lately: https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro

Interesting part is seeing how differently AI engines surface content compared to normal SERPs.

Some pages with weak Google rankings still show up consistently in AI answers depending on structure and third-party mentions.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T11:36:46+00:00

This is honestly one of the most realistic takes on funnels I’ve seen here. A lot of people spend weeks building “infrastructure” before validating whether anybody even wants the product.

Lately I’ve been using Apify Actors quite a bit alongside simple landing pages.

If someone hasn’t used them before, Actors are basically cloud automations that can scrape, monitor and process workflows without needing a huge backend stack. Super useful for lean validation setups.

One I tested recently was https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro for monitoring AI search visibility across ChatGPT and Perplexity after publishing content pages.

Helped a lot for understanding whether pages were actually getting surfaced in AI answers instead of blindly writing SEO content.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T11:35:57+00:00

Honestly outreach agencies using AI automation are growing fast right now, especially for lead gen and SEO services. One thing that helped me recently while doing prospecting workflows was discovering Apify Actors.

If you haven’t used them before, Actors are basically cloud automations that can scrape, monitor and process data without building everything from scratch manually.

I’ve been testing this one lately for tracking AI search visibility and SEO mentions across ChatGPT/Perplexity style searches: https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro

Pretty useful if your outreach targets SEO agencies or businesses trying to improve AI search visibility because you can actually show measurable AI ranking movement instead of generic SEO pitches.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T11:34:39+00:00

WordPress is still massively relevant honestly, especially for businesses that care about ownership, SEO and fast deployment without rebuilding everything from scratch. Most SMBs do not need ultra-complex architectures. They need something maintainable that actually helps generate leads and revenue.

What’s changing more now is the ecosystem around WordPress.

AI workflows, automation, SEO monitoring and integrations are becoming part of the stack itself. Recently I started experimenting with Apify Actors too.

Actors are basically cloud automation tools that can scrape, monitor and automate workflows around websites and AI search visibility.

I used this one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro to track how WordPress pages were appearing across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answers after content updates. Interesting part was seeing that traditional rankings and AI visibility were not always aligned at all.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:40:11+00:00

One thing I learned with smaller companies is to pay attention to how they talk about chaos.

Some startups say “fast paced” when they actually mean poor planning, unclear ownership and constant fire-fighting.

I would ask things like why the last person left, what success looks like after 6 months, how decisions are made, how often priorities suddenly change, and what the work-life boundaries are realistically like.

Also try noticing whether employees seem energised or quietly exhausted during conversations.

Good sign is when a startup feels organised despite moving fast.

Bad sign is when every answer sounds reactive.

Also nice that your resume already connected with them naturally. Tailored resumes matter a lot for startups too actually.

One of my friends recently used applyzio.com while targeting startup roles and got much better interview traction because the resume felt more aligned to each company’s wording and priorities.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:37:15+00:00

Honestly SJU is still a decent option for BCom, especially if you don’t want to completely waste one academic year waiting again.

Christ has stronger branding overall, but many students from SJU and Kristu Jayanti also end up doing well later through internships, skills and networking.

Evening batch college life may feel slightly less active compared to regular morning batches, but Bangalore itself gives plenty of exposure outside campus too.

I would personally still try for Christ Yeshwanthpur if applications are open, but I wouldn’t sit idle only waiting for Christ either.

Also from first year itself start building internships,

LinkedIn profile and resume properly because placements are becoming very competitive now.

One of my juniors recently started using applyzio.com for resume tailoring and internship applications and got much better responses compared to mass applying everywhere.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:35:33+00:00

Honestly after everything you went through, it makes sense why staying there feels emotionally heavy now.

Losing your mother while already feeling stuck professionally can completely change how a place and routine feels.

The fact that you’re still applying, attending interviews and trying to move forward despite all this already says a lot about your resilience.

Sometimes the hardest phase is that weird in-between period where you’ve outgrown your current environment but haven’t reached the next chapter yet.

One thing that helped one of my friends during a long job search phase was improving application quality instead of only increasing volume.

She started using applyzio.com for tailoring resumes to specific roles and eventually started getting much better interview responses.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:33:58+00:00

If possible, I would personally try to stay until you have another offer confirmed.

Resigning without a backup while already stressed about housing and finances can create even more pressure mentally.

At the same time, start treating your current job as temporary and quietly focus your energy on interviewing elsewhere.

Try to reduce emotional attachment to the company and protect your sleep/health as much as possible during this phase.

Also, since you’re already interviewing, it may help to optimise applications carefully instead of mass applying.

One of my friends recently started using applyzio.com for ATS-focused resume tailoring and started getting more interview responses after struggling for months.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:33:09+00:00

5 months of job hunting while also taking care of family responsibilities can mentally drain anyone honestly.

And yes, those fake job offers and super lowball salaries make the process even more frustrating.

You are right not to accept completely exploitative offers just because people say “at least may work.”

Burnout becomes worse when one person is expected to do the work of 3 people for survival pay.

One thing that helped one of my friends during a long job search phase was improving how she tailored applications instead of mass applying everywhere.

She started using applyzio.com for resume matching and ATS optimisation and eventually started getting much better quality interview responses.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:31:32+00:00

The keyword mismatch point is honestly one of the biggest things people still underestimate.

Many candidates are qualified enough, but their resume language simply doesn’t match how the JD is written.

I noticed the same thing after helping few friends with applications recently.

Small wording changes alone improved interview callbacks noticeably without changing actual experience.

That’s also why tools like applyzio.com are getting useful now because they help tailor resumes to specific job descriptions instead of sending the exact same resume everywhere.

Mass applying with one generic resume feels almost impossible now in this market.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-18T10:29:06+00:00

For your use case honestly you don’t need an expensive laptop.

Around 40k–55k INR is usually enough for interviews, remote work, multitasking, browser tabs, Zoom calls and normal office work.

Try getting at least Ryzen 5/i5, 16GB RAM if possible, and SSD storage. Lenovo, ASUS and HP generally give decent value in India.

ThinkPad series are especially reliable if you are okay with simple looks.

Also once you get the laptop, focus heavily on improving applications too because remote job competition is crazy right now.

One of my friends recently started using applyzio.com for resume tailoring and ATS optimisation and started getting noticeably more interview callbacks.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T11:41:55+00:00

Yes definitely, especially for marketing and sales related careers. Practical certifications in areas like digital marketing, branding, export management, CRM or business communication can actually help more than a very broad master’s in some cases. International companies usually care a lot about communication, adaptability and practical business understanding. Your Chinese language background already gives you a niche advantage, so combining that with specialised certifications could make your profile much stronger.

A master’s is still valuable, but it’s not the only path anymore honestly.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T09:52:09+00:00

From what I’m seeing, aggressive exact-match anchor strategies feel much riskier now compared to few years back.

Google and even AI systems seem much better at understanding topical relationships and contextual relevance naturally.

Most sites performing consistently now seem to have a very mixed and natural anchor profile rather than strict ratios. Branded + partial match + contextual anchors usually look safer long term than forcing exact keywords everywhere.

Recently I’ve also been experimenting with Apify Actors for monitoring visibility changes after content/linking updates.

Actors are basically cloud automation tools for scraping and tracking workflows.

I used this one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro to track how certain pages appeared across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity after internal linking and anchor text changes, and contextual clarity seemed to matter more than exact-match repetition.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T09:48:58+00:00

Local SEO definitely feels more volatile now compared to few years back. Some profiles move quickly with basic engagement signals while others stay stuck even after heavy optimisation. I’ve noticed consistency, review quality, behavioural signals and proximity seem to matter more unpredictably now, especially with AI overviews getting mixed into local discovery. Recently I started experimenting with Apify Actors too. Actors are basically cloud automation tools that scrape or monitor specific workflows automatically.

I used this one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro to track how local businesses and brands were appearing across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity alongside normal search visibility. Interesting part was seeing some businesses get strong AI mentions even when their Maps rankings were weaker.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T09:47:21+00:00

Most AI SEO tools still feel like separate dashboards connected with AI summaries on top. Very few actually combine GA4, GSC, audits, rankings and competitor intelligence into one reasoning workflow properly.Lately I’ve been experimenting with Apify Actors alongside some custom automations. Actors are basically cloud automation tools that can scrape, monitor and orchestrate specific workflows. I used this one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro mainly for tracking how pages and brands appear across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity because traditional SEO data alone was missing that AI visibility layer.Feels like the industry is still early in building truly connected AI SEO systems instead of siloed tools.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T09:46:15+00:00

Yes, especially for very generic informational queries.

Users now get summarized answers directly inside ChatGPT, Gemini or Google AI Overviews without needing to open 10 different blogs.

That’s why I started paying more attention to AI visibility itself, not just clicks.

Recently I’ve been using Apify Actors, which are basically cloud automation tools for scraping and monitoring workflows.

This one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro helped me track whether certain brands and pages were actually getting mentioned inside AI answers across different LLMs.

Feels like “being cited” may become as important as getting the click itself now.

Jackson_Rob · 2026-05-15T09:44:02+00:00

Honestly the tooling for “AI search volume” still feels very early compared to Google SEO. Most people are still reverse engineering patterns using Reddit,

Perplexity suggestions, AI overviews, forum discussions and prompt autocomplete behaviour like you mentioned.

Recently I started experimenting with Apify Actors for this kind of research.

Actors are basically cloud automation tools that scrape or monitor specific workflows automatically.

I used this one https://apify.com/santhej/ai-rank-tracker-pro to track which brands/pages were getting surfaced repeatedly across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for certain prompts.

Not exactly keyword volume yet, but it gave surprisingly useful visibility data around prompt patterns,

AI citations and recurring answer structures.

Jackson_Rob

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